13-year-old Syler puts on concert for her biggest fans: her family

August 13, 2012

By

Larry McGuire

Lacy J. Syler, up and coming country music star, performs at her family reunion Sunday in Troutville. Lacy traveled with her grandparents from the Nashville, Tenn. area to attend the family reunion. (Photo by Larry McGuire of The Punxsutawney Spirit)

TROUTVILLE â€” You may not have heard of Lacy J. Syler yet, but if things keep going as they have been for the 13-year-old country singer, that just may change.

The up and coming country music star, who now lives in Nashville with her grandparents pursuing a career in music, recently put on a show for some of her biggest fans â€” her family at its latest family reunion in Troutville this past weekend.

"Lacy has had a microphone in her hand since she was two years old," said Connie McCarty, Syler's grand mother.

"She has country roots, my husband (Buck) was a country singer, and we traveled around in a band," McCarty said, adding that she has played keyboards and sang back up vocals.

She said her son was the songwriter, along with uncles Cliff and Frank McCarty.

"It's in Lacy's blood to sign country music," said Connie McCarty.

"When I was little, I just sang; I didn't really think about it, because I was a kid," she said.

"Four years ago, I came to the conclusion that I was pretty good at singing country music and that I should make it a career," Syler said, adding that there were a lot of people, both family and friends, that encouraged her to make music her career.

Syler said she has written some songs already with help from her uncle Matthew McCarty.

"He would ask me about it, and then we would sit down together and write it," Syler said.

Connie McCarty said that Lacy has had several songs that have charted on the independent record label CMG in Nashville.

"There are many independent record labels that have come together as a coalition and have their music played on as many as 1,800 radio stations around the world that play nothing but independent labels music on their stations," she said.

"The major labels have their music played on the major radio stations," Connie McCarty said, adding that CMG keeps a log of the music that is played on these independent radio stations.

Syler's "That's What Girls Do" hit No. 1, and another of her songs â€” "Troublemaker" â€” has reached No. 23 on the CMG chart and is still climbing.

Syler has had a a lot of offers to go overseas and will be traveling to Norway to sing toward the end of the summer with a trip to London planned for October.

Lacy sang for the crowd at the family reunion to much applause and appreciation.